


The Riverperson's Guide

by FireFaceOutlook



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underswap, M/M, Underswap Gaster - Freeform, Underswap Papyrus, Underswap Sans, Underswap W. D. Gaster
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 13:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12433518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireFaceOutlook/pseuds/FireFaceOutlook
Summary: Everyone knows about the two skeleton brothers who just showed up one day and asserted themselves in Snowdin Town, but what about the mysterious Riverperson who spoke in hands?





	The Riverperson's Guide

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: I don't have much of an explanation for this, except that I was influenced by fanart. And I see all kinds of Sanster fanfictions and fanart, but I haven't once seen a fanfiction or fanart for Underswap Gaster and Papyrus (or Gaster and Sans, but you know, details). Anyway, I decided to break the mold! Inspire some people, maybe! (Unlikely.) Anyway, read and enjoy, please!**

_Smoke filled the air, obscuring the vision and flooding the pseudolungs of the two skeleton monsters who moved further into the building instead of fleeing like their (probably more sane) coworkers._

_“G҉, are you sure he's still in here?” one of them, clad in an orange hoodie beneath a white lab coat, called over the piercing emergency alarm._

_“Yes,” the other affirmed, reaching up to tug at the thick collar of his black turtleneck, also under a white lab coat. “They have to be directly in the Core. They wouldn't have left if it was at risk of endangering the entire underground.”_

_P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢ looked skeptical, even through the haze overtaking the hallway, but then he adjusted his red gloves and nodded firmly, bravery sparking in his eye sockets._

_“let's rescue the royal scientist, then.”_

_W̵͡͠.҉̶̨D̶. ̨̕Ga͘҉s͞t͏er̕ couldn't have been more relieved. He knew that. P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢ disapproved of Dr. ***[REDACTED]** 's methods when it came to experimentation, but he was willing to go back for him simply because G҉͜͡a̵̛s̢̕͘t̸ȩ͜ŗ͟҉ insisted. How did he get such a good friend?_

_“aw, don't give me that expression,” P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢ said, clearing his throat. “i already agreed to go, so let's go.”_

_P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢' gloved hand wrapped around G҉͜͡a̵̛s̢̕͘t̸ȩ͜ŗ͟҉'s, the fabric catching on the edges of the hole in the latter's palm that had been meticulously carved out by magic years ago, and the two delved deeper into the lab._

  


Sensations, both foreign and nod, filled and surrounded him. He felt like he was falling – he felt like he was hovering in mid-air. He felt himself shatter across space and time; he felt himself get pieced back together again. He was removed from existence, then pulled back into reality, and then...he woke up. But he didn't wake up peacefully – no, he came to consciousness with a hoarse scream of pain. The sounds that came from his mouth made him think of a banshee's cry, announcing an approaching death, and perhaps it _was_ some kind of premonition because his skull felt like it was melting and cracking apart all at once. He cried out for help.

***Somebody came.**

Gentle hands pried his clawing hands away from his face – he hadn't even realized that he was hurting himself – and a soft, worried voice was speaking to him, but he couldn't open his eye sockets and it didn't matter anyway because he was in the process of passing out again.

  


_"̡ga̡͡s̨͞ţ҉e͏r̛!̷̢"̷_

  


He rejoined the conscious world again, bolting up into a seated position, a forgotten name on the tip of his tongue. It was gone before he could utter it. His mounting frustration was set aside to pick at later when he realized he was in a bed, the blankets fallen to his waist from his abrupt awakening. He was clothed, but he wasn't sure if they were _his_ clothes. The room he found himself in was almost too sparse. Where was he? The door clicking open caught his attention. A small monster bunny peered around the side shyly. He offered his best smile, even though it hurt, but before he could speak, they were gone. He was just about to try and get up when another rabbit came in, the child from before clinging to her long skirt. In her hands was a steaming bowl that made his pseudostomach rumble.

“Oh, you're awake! I'm so glad.”

She set the bowl on the nearby small table and sat on the edge of the bed. She placed her hands on his face, peeling off strips of bandages he hadn't noticed.

“Your wounds are looking much better today!”

He had so many questions, but the bowl was being handed to him, so he decided to sate his hunger first. It was very good and when he finished, the child took his dishes and left the room. The mother smoothed her skirt out and gave him a sympathetic smile.

“I'm sure you're confused. I found you unconscious near Snowdin River. Can you tell me your name?”

He wanted to answer her, he really did, but when he went to do so, his mind filed a blank space under 'name.' He tried not to show how frightened he was from this discovery as he slowly uttered, "I-I͠'m ̴s͘o̢r̶ry͘,͏ m̨a͟'a͝m͢,̕ b͘u̡t͞ I ҉do̢n'͏t ͡k̶n̛ow͢.͘"

Her brows furrowed, but he missed it as his eye lights darted around.

"̡C-͟co͡ưld͜ you͘ po҉ssibly ̨t̶ell̵ m̷e wh͏-where ͘I ͘a͞m͞?̴ ͝I-͢I ̧don't҉ me̢an ̛to be ͠a pro͜bl̵em͜,̡ ͘b-͏b̶u̶t̶-̕-"

“Let me stop you right there, sweetheart,” the other monster soothed.

His soul sunk with her next words.

“I'm afraid I don't know the font you're speaking in.”

  


_“hey, what's that language you slip into when you get excited?” P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢ asked, interrupting his scientific rant. S̷̵̕͢͠a̷̷̵̵̛n̢͏̧s͏͞, sitting on his brother's desk, also gave G҉͜͡a̵̛s̢̕͘t̸ȩ͜ŗ͟҉ a curious look._

_The other skeleton flushed blue and orange in embarrassment. “I-It's not another language,” he protested. “I have a font, just like you two!”_

_“I thought it was Times New Roman,” S̷̵̕͢͠a̷̷̵̵̛n̢͏̧s͏͞ admitted, P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢ nodding in agreement._

_“No! It's...” He sighed and hunched his shoulders. “It's W̵͟i̸͘ng̵̸D̡i͜n̷͠g͟s͝.'”_

_P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢ grinned. “that's what your initials stand for!”_

_He sounded much too amused and that made G҉͜͡a̵̛s̢̕͘t̸ȩ͜ŗ͟҉ even more self conscious. P̵̷̨͟͡a̴p̡͘͟͢͜y̢͟͝r̴̶͡u҉̛s̵̡͘͢' next words surprised him._

_“why don't you teach us?”_

_G҉͜͡a̵̛s̢̕͘t̸ȩ͜ŗ͟҉ blinked. “Wh-what?”_

_“S̷̵̕͢͠a̷̷̵̵̛n̢͏̧s͏͞ and I would love to learn your font.”_

_“It'll be like our own secret language!” S̷̵̕͢͠a̷̷̵̵̛n̢͏̧s͏͞ added, looking excited._

_“O-oh... Okay. I-if you're sure,” he said slowly with a shy smile._

_No one had ever wanted to learn to speak like him before._

_“Well, I guess we'd better start with the alphabet.”_

**Author's Note:**

> **A/N: Also, so no one gets too lost, I have a headcanon that I came up for on one of my tumblrs (@multiversehc). So I was looking at this fanart for Underswap with scientists Gaster and Papyrus, but I really like the idea of Riverperson and Gaster swapping places, so I thought this: Gaster is Papyrus’ co-worker (not dad, obviously) under Royal Scientist Riverperson, and when Riverperson had their incident with the Core, Gaster tried to rescue them and got injured (from an explosion? falling debris?) and that’s how he got his skull cracked and (wait for it…!) memory loss. At the tail end of his injury, he managed to shortcut away before passing out and he woke on the outskirts of Showdin with no past he could recall except for a single name: Riverperson. So he starts up the ferrying business and he speaks to himself a lot (in Wingdings, which (most) monsters don’t understand), and what comes out are riddles related to a past he can’t remember. Ex: “… Beware the man who sings …”, etc. Anyone else think this is an interesting idea?**


End file.
